Purchasing a new home is an important milestone, and as a homeowner, you’ll have the opportunity to decide what upgrades and changes you want to make after you move in. Deciding what home improvement projects to take on can be difficult. It’s important to balance upgrades that will meaningfully benefit your quality of life and comfort at home while making sure that the improvements you make don’t negatively affect the value of your property. If you’re looking for inspiration, read on for five great ideas for updates to your new home.
1. Energy-efficient Appliances
While some houses do have updated technology, many homes aren’t outfitted with modern, high-efficiency appliances. You may not realize it, but having quality appliances is worth the investment. Not only is upgrading to eco-friendly technology beneficial for you as a homeowner, but it will also help boost your home’s value should you ever choose to sell. Prospective buyers are starting to prioritize energy-efficient and green technology when looking for a new home.
2. Siding and Windows
Talk to a contractor to get an idea of how much a siding installation would cost for your home. The quality of your windows and siding is more important than you might realize. Cracks and crevices in windows can let in drafts that make it more difficult for your HVAC system to regulate the temperature, so it’s important to fill them with caulk regularly. Putting a more substantial load on your HVAC system can also drive up your utility bills. Your siding is also an important part of insulating your home, which is even more important if you live somewhere that frequently experiences cold temperatures. In terms of how it affects your home’s equity, an attractive exterior is always a benefit because of the boost it gives to the curb appeal of your property.
3. Light Fixtures
Updating your light fixtures is a simple and relatively affordable way to transform the look of a space and make your environment at home more comfortable. It’s important to maximize the use of your home’s natural light, in combination with installing lighting fixtures that offer aesthetic and functional value. Swapping out your bulbs for more energy-efficient ones can also help reduce your electricity bill. The kitchen and bathroom are good places to focus if you aren’t sure where to start.
4. Smart Technology
While larger purchases like smart refrigerators and security systems are good investments, you can find smart devices at every price point. For example, smart picture frames can display all your favorite photos and allow you to rotate individual photos from your collection with the push of a button.
Online services like IBI photo sharing can help by giving you a place to store and share hundreds of thousands of photos and hours and hours of video of you and everyone in your inner circle. This cloud service also allows you to access and share all of your photos to your phone, laptop, USB drive, or on social media, which makes it a useful tool for many different media players and smart devices. Smart thermometers are also popular. They are capable of operating your HVAC system on a timer, allowing you to reduce your energy usage and only use your heating and cooling systems when you need to.
5. Landscaping
Landscaping can help add a personal touch to the design of your yard, in addition to providing visual interest to the exterior of your entire house. Another benefit of professional landscaping is that it tends to produce a positive return on investment when it comes time to sell. Much like replacing siding and windows, landscaping improves your home’s curb appeal. You can also have fences installed to create a safer environment for children and pets to surround other fixtures like pools and gardens.
While being a homeowner means taking on a lot of responsibility, it also gives you the freedom to create the home environment of your dreams. While there’s no one size fits all list of best improvements to make to your home, there are a lot of popular projects that can help save you money and improve your quality of life at the same time. Once you’ve settled in after the big move, it might be time to start thinking about what updates you want to make in 2021.
